THE WATER WE DRINK…

Impurities Removed by Distillation

DISTILLERS RESEARCH TOPIC LINKS:
Impurities Removed by Distillation
Types Of Distillers and Equipment
(VOC’s) volatile organic compounds
Maintaining Your Water Distiller
Pricing, Purchase, Operational Costs
Advantages & Disadvantages
Pre-Purchase Considerations

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Also See: Distillation Process Defined

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And: Testing Your Water Supply

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What impurities will distillers remove?

Distillers remove almost all of the impurities from water supplies. In fact, distillation is the only means of removing some contaminants. Water used in laboratory applications that require a purity level above 99.97% use steam distillation. (consumer brand distillers provide 99.95% to 99.97% purification) This applies only to “steam distillation”. Distillers using gravity, ceramic, and silver do not remove such contaminants without additional chemicals such as in the removal of soluble salts. As water is heated the impurities in the boiling chamber increase in concentration. The water left behind in the boiling chamber is discarded and the process is started over.

Distillers are commonly used for removing nitrate, bacteria, sodium, hardness, dissolved solids, most organic compounds, heavy metals, and radionucleides from water.

What impurities are not removed?

Distillers can allow 0.3 to 0.5 percent of water impurities to exist in the storage container after distilling.

Some volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), certain pesticides and volatile solvents, boil at temperatures very close to water (207-218 degrees Fahrenheit). These types of contaminants will not be substantially reduced in concentration by distillation. Properly equipped distillers can reduce VOC concentrations effectively.

Although bacteria are removed by distillation, they may recolonize on the cooling coils during inactive periods. Maintain proper cleaning to avoid potential bacteria recolonization.